[CV3]

I know there are a number of us on the forum as that live in Gulf states. One of the woods that mke nice looking sticks is pecan. It is part of the hickory family and so it is strong. I can be hard to work. but I have had some really nice looking sticks frome it. All though the gulf states I there are pecan groves. I have found a couple that will let me take some sticks from old and downed trees. I have made them some sticks or a cane for letting me have the wood. Could be a resource woth looking into if you have any groves near you.
I did the same deal with some citrus growers when I lived in Calif. Infact I have gotten a lot of sticks by showing a farner or rancher one of the sticks I make and offering to make one for them from their own tree if I could have a few branches. About 1/2 the time they will agree.

 

[dww2]

Pecan is a wood we don't have up north. We do have a relative, shell bark hickory, though. Never made a stick from it but did some nice small vases on my lathe with it years ago. Shines up nice and took some good details but dulled my tools pretty fast.
I remember the other Randy who posted here always photographed his sticks in front of a huge pecan tree.

 

[CV3]

Pecan is a wood we don't have up north. We do have a relative, shell bark hickory, though. Never made a stick from it but did some nice small vases on my lathe with it years ago. Shines up nice and took some good details but dulled my tools pretty fast.
I remember the other Randy who posted here always photographed his sticks in front of a huge pecan tree.

Never met him but he lived about 50 miles north of me. Hope he will check in again.

 

[valky307]

Great ideas! Kansas has many Pecan tree farms in the Southeast corner of the state. I just may have to venture that way this Spring. Plus it's worth mentioning the spotted bass fishing is wonderful down there and toasted/salted pecans are my favorite nuts so the trip would have triple pleasurable purpose!
Thanks, CV3!

 

[ndncowboy]

If valky in your userid refers to a motorcycle then you have yet another reason to ride too.

I just may have to venture that way this Spring

 

[valky307]

If valky in your userid refers to a motorcycle then you have yet another reason to ride too.

LOL! No sorry but my motorcycle days are over. Valky is simply my nick name ever since high school.

 

[ndncowboy]

LOL! No sorry but my motorcycle days are over. Valky is simply my nick name ever since high school.

Oh well. Thought mine was over too but took a gamble and triked my bike and now I wish I had done it 5 years sooner. It's way different but just as much fun in that different way. Those last 5 years I was really pushing my luck on 2 wheels when it came to stops. Look left, look right, then look left again and everything would spin around. At least now I can just sit there and wait and not worry about dropping the bike. Or if someone is pushing me I can move over without dropping the thing. Has been a great gamble that is paying off.

 

[BigJim]

When I was burning wood for heat, I let a huge hickory dry too long. When I went to bust it up, all the axe would do is bounce, had to just let it rot. Hickory and Pecan is harder than Superman's knee caps, but makes nice sticks.

 

[dww2]

Kind of like elm which we burned occasionally when one caught Dutch elm disease. The hydraulic splitter would do it but trying a splitting maul was impossible. We called it "rubber mallet syndrome." That 8 lb head would bounce like rubber.

 

[BigJim]

Kind of like elm which we burned occasionally when one caught Dutch elm disease. The hydraulic splitter would do it but trying a splitting maul was impossible. We called it "rubber mallet syndrome." That 8 lb head would bounce like rubber.

The grain in Elm just goes crazy, I tried to bust a piece of it also, like you said, rubber.

 

[ndncowboy]

Even Cottonwood did that to me once. I wonder if there is a stage that all wood does the rubber mallet thing?

 

[BigJim]

Even Cottonwood did that to me once. I wonder if there is a stage that all wood does the rubber mallet thing?

I never had a problem busting ash, oak or any of the hard woods, as long as there were no knots. Wood that is normally used for heat or even hickory wasn't bad to split, as long as it was still green and fresh cut. I haven't tried cotton wood that I know of.

Ash as a heat wood was, years back, used for stove or cooking wood because it burned hot, fast and left little ashes. Sorry I got of topic there for a moment.